Exploring Indeed, Upwork, Fiverr, Upstaff in search for Remote Tech Talent

In this article, we seek to establish how Fiverr, an Israeli remote freelance platform, compares to its market competitors: Indeed, Upwork, and Upstaff. Our ultimate goal is to determine which platform is best suited for finding specialists for different types of projects—whether that’s a short-term gig, a medium- or long-term project, or a full job contract.

Fiverr

Company Overview & Market Position

Fiverr International Ltd is a global freelance marketplace located in Israel that connects businesses and freelancers. Fiverr’s core freelancing markets are the US, India, and Pakistan. According to PitchBook data, annual venture capital funding for digital recruitment and outsourcing companies has dropped by over two-thirds since 2022. Today Fiverr is valued at 1.23B. Fiverr has a 15.11% market share in the freelance market. 

On TrustRadius, Fiverr holds a 5.9 out of 10 rating. Users like its cost-effectiveness, user-friendly platform and the vast database of global freelancers, making it a platform for small businesses and solo practitioners. However, users dislike include a 20% commission fee, a 14-day waiting period for fund withdrawals, limited gig descriptions, and restrictive communication policies. Scammers and inconsistent customer support negatively impact Fiverr’s rating.

“Gig” Service Model

Fiverr does not have a system where freelancers bid on requests. For Fiverr, a freelancer makes a gig and lets the buyers come to them. Buyers do not post requests, they contact sellers individually if they see a gig they like. Fivver’s catalogue of services is called Gigs. Every gig has a clear scope, time frame, cost, and buyer reviews. Customers can browse or search for services at different pricing points, including site development, blog writing, video editing, and logo creation. Freelancers can use Promoted Gigs and Seller Plus for additional advertising and tools. Fiverr Workspace helps freelancers manage their businesses, and Fiverr Learn and CreativeLive provide opportunities for learning. ClearVoice provides subscription-based content marketing solutions, WorkingNotWorking grants access to talent, and Stoke Talent is a freelancer management system.

Available Pool of Candidates

Candidates focus on short-term gigs

Fiverr’s model suits well for small-scale gigs, but once you look at something tailor-made for your project, it is unlikely you’ll find a match on Fiverr.  Candidates are used to gig-types of projects: they suggest clients their ready-made offer and make little changes to it for each client. Therefore, candidates are likely professionals in implementing their specific “gig projects,” but unlikely to do something outside of the scope of the gig on the same level of technical expertise. 

Platform Fees for Freelancers and Clients

Sellers can set their own prices for gigs starting from $5. The minimum hourly rate is $7.25. Some service categories have their own minimum prices. For each completed gig, sellers pay Fiverr a 20% fee on their earnings. Promoted gigs include additional price. Sellers outside the US often have payment processing fees, exchange rates and local bank fees in their pricing. Fiverr often holds earnings for a set period—usually 14 days (or 7 days for top-rated sellers) before releasing funds to the freelancer. If a seller wants to access their money earlier than that standard timeframe, Fiverr charges an additional fee, typically around 1% of the payout. Often freelancers consider this 1% in their pricing to a customer.

Buyers pay $2 for orders up to $40, and 5.5% of the total order cost for orders above $40. Fiverr Workspace (an additional suite of tools for managing freelance business) costs $18 per month. As of today, the Order Initiation Fee is $5 .

Hence, the total Fiverr commission from Seller and Buyer using the platform consist 25%, not including any additional services such as ads, Fiver Workspace etc. 

Review system

After an order is delivered and marked as complete, the buyer can leave a review for a seller. The buyer can rate the freelancer on quality, communication, and value for money, plus add any written feedback. After 24h from completion of the order, buyers can leave a private feedback. Only Fiverr can access this type of feedback. When a buyer submits a review, the freelancer receives a notification to leave feedback about the buyer. Freelancers can submit a public comment under the buyer’s review to respond or make something clear. The public reviews can be found on the freelancer’s profile and on the relevant gig page. Fiverr Support can remove a review only if it violates Fiverr’s Terms of Service or Community Standards. Buyer and freelancer have 14 days to post their reviews. However, in categories like Programming & Tech, SEO, and Certified Gigs the review window extends to 30 days. Once the buyer submits their review, the freelancer receives a notification to leave feedback about the buyer.

Use of AI by freelancers  and AI-bidding

According to Fiverr’s Community Standards, use of AI is permitted to compete for gigs and complete them, unless there is an intellectual property infringement or violation of applicable laws.  Since the launch of ChatGPT and other generative AI models, the number of freelance jobs posted on platforms like Upwork and Fiverr, in areas where generative AI excels, has decreased by up to 21%. Financial Times informed that the popularization of AI is spooking the investors of Fiverr because they believe that AI can simply substitute the labour of many freelancers who propose their services online

Furthermore, since the client chooses the freelancer, the opportunity for AI bidding on Fiverr is zero. However, there are little restrictions for use of AI in communication with a buyer.

Short Conclusion

Hence, Fiverr is a good platform if you are ready to work with a ready-made project and prepared to not require modifications to it. However, if you need a middle- or long-term engagement with custom features, Fiverr is not the right place to look for a freelancer. 

Upwork v. Fiverr

Upwork Overview & Market Position Compared to Fiverr

Upwork is a freelance marketplace that connects freelancers with clients globally.  Upwork covers more types of services than Fiverr. Upwork’s core freelancing markets are the US, India, and the Philippines. The platform is a leader on the freelance market, dominating the market with 30.32% market share, compared to 15.11% of Fiverr. As of December 2024, Upwork has a market cap of $2.23 Billion USD, almost twice bigger than Fiverr’s 1.23B.

On TrustRadius, Upwork holds a 7.6 out of 10 rating versus Fiverr’s 5.9. Users like Upwork’s approach— uniting project management, billing, communication, and a talent pool on one platform which is easy to browse. However, some users dislike having to purchase “Connects” to bid on jobs, and the hiring process can feel lengthy. Fiverr, by contrast, offers a simple gig model with transparent pricing and a star system, though sellers struggle with portfolio presentation limits, a 20% commission, and a waiting period for funds withdrawal. Hence, those seeking a comprehensive project-management setup often turn to Upwork, while Fiverr appeals to anyone who needs quick, ready-made services at a glance.

Service Model: Upwork v. Fiverr

Upwork allows you to find freelancers for a broad spectrum of project types, from short-term gigs to long-term contracts. Upwork platform supports custom project postings, allowing clients to outline specific requirements and receive tailored proposals from freelancers. This flexibility makes Upwork ideal for businesses seeking specialized skills and solutions for their projects.

In contrast, Fiverr operates on a “Package Service Model”, where freelancers offer predefined services known as “Gigs.” Each Gig has a clear scope, timeframe, and cost, limiting clients to selecting from ready-made offerings. While this model excels in providing fast, standardized services like logo design or ready-made script, it lacks the flexibility needed for customized or complex projects.

Upwork covers 100+ specializations across 13 categories, so it’s well-suited for both gigs and longer-term projects.

Fiverr focuses on 10 main categories. Fiverr’s gig-based model is more streamlined but less flexible for large or long-term projects.

Models of Cooperation between Freelancers and Clients

On Upwork, once clients select a freelancer, they can choose between fixed-price or hourly contracts. Long-term collaboration is also supported by Upwork: time tracking, invoicing, and messaging tools help manage ongoing work; clients can add Milestones for fixed-price projects to break the freelancer’s work into stages and enhance the control and mitigating a poor performance risk. Alternatively, a client can create new projects under the same contract.

On Fiverr, a model focuses on a one-off, fixed-price arrangement per gig. Clients can continue to re-book the same seller if they like their work. However, each new project is typically purchased as a separate gig.

Both on Upwork and Fiverr, communication and project tracking between clients and freelancers happen mostly through Fiverr’s built-in messaging system.

Upwork has more ways to hire compared to Fiverr’s only option for clients to browse through the existing gigs. Upwork allows to:

• Project Catalog – Purchase pre-made “packages” or services.
• Post a Job – Create an open listing and receive applications from freelancers.
• Search Profiles – Browse and directly contact skilled freelancers.
• Talent Scout – For longer or more specialized projects, work with a recruiter to find top talent.

Pool of Candidates

Unlike Fiverr, Upwork has a diverse pool of candidates from virtually all domains. Also contrary to Fiverr, a significant number of bids come from agencies and not individual freelancers. Unfortunately, a management support of the agencies comes with a caveat: agencies have less understanding of client’s needs compared to individual freelancers. Another important consideration is the lack of certainty about who will actually work on your project. Even if a client selects a specific developer, the agency may assign a different, less qualified individual without notifying a client about this. AI-generated bidding letters are used by a significant number of agencies and individual freelancers. Yes, this is unethical and unprofessional, but very common. There are risks associated with agencies that take longer to complete the projects because of inconsistent management and time devoted to the project. On Fiverr, this is not a problem because freelancers work on the gigs they proposed themselves and likely have completed them in the past numerous times.

Unlike Fiverr, with Upwork a client can choose a developer with a custom and wider skillset and hybrid engagement models. The large number of agencies working through Upwork increases the price of services on Upwork, which is not a significant factor on Fiverr. Upwork also makes it easier to find narrowly focused specialists, in contrast to Fiverr’s more generalized “full-package” offerings.

Hence, Upwork has a bigger pool of candidates with an option to choose a freelancer to complete a custom project. Fiverr does not have such an option of customizing a project, but it can provide a more fast and cost-effective solution because of its approach of ready-made gig solutions from which a client can choose.

Platform Fees

Upwork employs a sliding fee structure designed to reward long-term client relationships:

• 20% on the first $500 billed to a client.
• 10% from $500.01 to $10,000.
• 5% for billings exceeding $10,000.

Additionally, Upwork offers Direct Contracts, which lower the fee to 5% for freelancers who independently bring clients to the platform. For enterprise engagements, the standard fee remains around 10%, though custom agreements can modify this rate.

Clients on Upwork incur a payment processing fee of approximately 3-5% on top of the freelancer’s rate. This fee varies based on the client’s location and payment method.

$1000 project pricing comparison between Upwork and Fiverr

Widespread use of AI by freelancers

More AI Bidding in Upwork compared to Fiverr

Unlike on Fiverr, where clients browse through the “gigs” suggested by freelancers, on Upwork freelancers take active part in submitting their applications for the projects posted by the clients. Hence, AI bidding became a local Upwork phenomenon and it does not exist on Fiverr. Using AI, freelancers automize their applications for clients’ projects and draft automated proposals. However, behind a well-drafted proposal can hide a freelancer with a poor profile match and questionable skillset to a particular project.

Upwork is actively integrating AI into their platform to help clients evaluate candidates and help the latter to draft proposals to the clients. However, widespread use of AI led to the AI-bidding phenomenon. By utilizing AI to draft and manage proposals, freelancers learned how to expand their bidding coverage. Still, use of AI made it harder to determine the true qualifications of a freelancer on the bidding stage.Today, many instruments exist to promote AI-bidding on Upwork: BidBuilder, PouncerAI, GigRadar and others. The market of AI-bidding instruments on Upwork demonstrates that this phenomenon will only continue to grow in the future.

Kelly Monahan, managing director of the Upwork’s Research Institute, said that freelance jobs that require basic writing, coding or translation are disappearing across postings on job board Upwork.  Moreover, freelancers themselves state that use of AI has decreased the quality of services provided by freelancers on Upwork.

Upwork use of AI by freelancers is limited by three principles below, however there are no clear punishment for their violation:

Short Conclusion

Upwork and Fiverr work with different audiences. Upwork is better at providing a diverse talent pool, flexibility in services, and effective project management tools. Upwork is suitable for all kinds of remote projects. Wide-spread presence of agencies on the platform brings risks related to agency management and poor performance of the projects.

Fiverr’s gig-based model is ideal for quick, standardized, and cost-effective gig-solutions. It lacks Upwork’s flexibility and project customization potential, Fiverr simplifies the hiring process for small-scale or one-off tasks Ultimately, clients looking for tailored solutions and long-term partnerships should find Upwork more suitable

Indeed v. Fiverr

Indeed Overview & Market Position Compared to Fiverr

Indeed, an employment website with over 250M unique users monthly, is a world-leader for external source hiring. Each second external hire in the US is done through Indeed. Its primary markets include the US, Canada, and India. According to recent data, Indeed holds a significant share of the recruitment market, valued at $10.5 billion. Indeed has a 31.67% market share in the freelance market, compared to Fiverr’s 15.11%/.

On TrustRadius, Indeed holds a 8.1 out of 10 rating. Users like its large applicant pool, user-friendly interface, and features like automated screening, scheduling, and virtual interviews, which makes the hiring process faster. Indeed effective for high-volume hiring and virtual recruitment events. However, users dislike inconsistent applicant quality, limitations in candidate filtering tools, and system downtimes. Overall, Indeed is well-suited for small to medium-sized businesses and organizations needing to fill roles quickly online and for office.

Service Model: Indeed v. Fiverr

By contrast to Fiverr, Indeed focuses on recruitment automation with the clients taking an active role of publishing their jobs and sourcing candidates through Indeed’s job platform and Indeed’s CV library. Indeed’s model provides access to a broader talent pool which allows to hire contractors and professionals on all kinds of projects, including onsite and remotely. Basic Indeed’s features are free compared to Fiverr, however it is unlikely that a successful hire is possible without paying at least for a Sponsored Job feature. Indeed focuses on providing the clients with a great autonomy in hiring, providing a platform, databases and managing tools, while Fiverr excels at quick and simple projects.

Available Pool of Candidates

Indeed, unlike Fiverr’s focusing on 10 main gig categories, it provides access to a vast pool of job seekers across hundreds of industries. Indeed’s CV library includes over 200 million resumes, with seven million added or updated monthly. Unlike Fiverr, Indeed’s candidate pool has both freelancers and full-time job seekers, allowing client to hire for different roles, considering seniority, onsite/remote and location, duration and immigration considerations. With features like CV database, Sponsored Jobs, candidates profiles filtering tools, Indeed makes hiring a structured process. While Fiverr has nothing of the above, it wins in speed and simplicity of engaging contractors for quick remote gigs through a user-friendly platform. However, when it comes to anything more complicated than an online gig, Indeed is a correct place to start.

Comparing rating systems between Indeed and Fiverr

Indeed allows users to post anonymous reviews about companies, covering work-life balance, management, and salary, to help job seekers make informed decisions. Employers can claim company pages to respond to reviews, update information, and report inappropriate content that violates community guidelines. Anonymity ensures honest feedback but can reduce accountability. However, Indeed’s reviews credibility often suffers from critique that often employees pay for posting fake positive reviews about their company. Also, often employers reviews get rejected for no reason leaving a small window to publicly share a negative experience with a particular employee.  

Platform Fees for Freelancers and Clients

Unlike Fiverr, Indeed does not take commission on hires. Indeed makes money from Sponsored Jobs and access to its resume database. A client may opt to post their job for free, though it’ll significantly impair its views by the potential candidates. For job seekers, Indeed is free too. 

Minimum budget for a Sponsored Job starts at $5/day or $150/month. The same role can be sponsored for a specific location, state or worldwide. Sponsored jobs are seen more often by job seekers because they are shown first in a relevant job search. How are costs used? Starting 18 December 2024, the pay-per-application system is not used anymore, and clients pay for views on the job. Also, employers that subscribe to Indeed Resume now have access to the company’s matched candidates product

Unlike Indeed, Fiverr directly collects a percentage of each transaction. As a result, both the client and freelancer share in the fees, which total around 20–25% on large orders. However, a Fiverr client does not need to compete for eyeballs of the freelancers, which in meantime is a primary source of income for Indeed. 

Lastly, Indeed offers paid access to its extensive CV library—over 200 million CVs, with seven million added or updated each month. Subscriptions have two options:

• Standard ($120/month): 30 contacts per month
• Professional ($300/month): 100 contacts per month

Each subscription provides unlimited CV searches, visibility of candidate names, email reminders to unresponsive candidates, and free credits when candidates respond.

$1000 project pricing comparison between Indeed and Fiverr

Use AI by freelancers

Indeed integrates ChatGPT to help candidates bid for the jobs. By personalizing job recommendations through features like Invite to Apply, Indeed explains why a candidate’s background aligns with a specific role, boosting job application starts by 20% and improving hire rates by 13% as shown by A/B testing. Also, Indeed’s AI tools automate recruitment. The Job Description Generator crafts optimized postings, while Candidate Highlights summarize resumes to help employers quickly assess a potential match. Features like the Work Experience Writer aim to refine job seekers’ profiles. 

Unlike on Fiverr, Indeed is actively promoting using AI-features by both job seekers and employers. AI-bidding is seen as a positive phenomenon which Indeed considers as something which makes hiring and looking for a job more robust and effective. 

Short Conclusion on Each Category and Establishing a Winner

Indeed and Fiverr serve different hiring needs. Indeed’s strength is in its structured recruitment process, supported by AI-driven tools. Indeed, with a 200 million CVs database, is ideal for businesses seeking talent across industries for mid- to long-term roles. However, its heavy reliance on paid features like Sponsored Jobs makes it less accessible for clients with smaller budgets or immediate needs, especially clients outside the US. 

Fiverr, on the other hand, offers a gig-based model perfect for quick, standardized solutions. Fiverr simplifies hiring for small-scale or one-off projects. Fiverr lacks the flexibility and wide coverage of Indeed, but excels at providing cost-effective, ready-made “package” services. Ultimately, Indeed is better suited for structured, long-term recruitment.

Upstaff v. Fiverr

Upstaff Overview & Market Position Compared to Fiverr

Upstaff, a private London-based British-Ukrainian tech hiring startup, serves as a haute couture tech boutique for all kinds of middle- and long-term projects, while Fiverr is a mass-market platform position for short-term gigs. Unlike Fiverr, Upstaff focuses on a human-led sourcing structure, and post onboarding management and ad hoc tech support for its clients. 

Existing since 2020, Upstaff is active on the European and Middle East markets, aiming to expand to North America in 2025. Main Upstaff talent comes from Eastern Europe, compared to India and Philippines talent pool of Fiverr.

Service Model: Upstaff v. Fiverr

Upstaff primarily focuses on middle- and long-term complex projects, which requires complex tech stack profiles. Unlike Fiverr’s gig-oriented approach, Upstaff is all about human support: once you post a job or contact a manager, Upstaff is conducting a human-led sourcing process through its 20,000 database of vetted developers and external non-orthodox sources. 

Compared to the gig-oriented Fiverr model with little management support, Upstaf provides free-of-charge management team support in sourcing developers with a required skillset. Management supervision allows to mitigate any risks related to poor performance or bad cultural match between developer and a company. If a client does not end-up with a developer they like, there is no payment required. Clients save their time and make hiring professional even for small-businesses and startups, who often cannot afford a wide-scale structured hiring. Usually in 3 days, Uptaff provides a client with up to five already technically vetted developers and clients decides whether to proceed with them further on the interviewing process and how. 

Available Pool of Candidates

Upstaff and Fiverr cater to different client needs through distinct candidate pools. Unlike freelancers on Fiverr doing standardised work, Upstaff’s pool of candidates is around 20,000 active profiles from all different kinds of domains. Upstaff’s candidates are all technically vetted by senior developers and have their English proficiency tested. Most of the Upstaff candidates, who are based in Europe, have their degrees from the best technical schools in their countries. 

Overall, Upstaff is the haute couture boutique of hiring platforms, offering an experience akin to a Milano atelier. If you need candidates precisely matched to your needs, complete with technical vetting and managers who provide round-the-clock support—Upstaff is the choice for delivering exceptional quality and attention to detail. If you are seeking a cheap and standard dress for every-day wear, better go to Fiverr.

Comparing rating systems between Upstaff and Fiverr

Upstaff centers its approach on thorough human vetting. When a client receives a candidate’s profile, it comes with a detailed review prepared by an Upstaff technical specialist. Unlike Fiverr’s public rating system, Upstaff profiles are customized specifically for the client’s project, ensuring a tailored match.

Platform Fees for Freelancers and Clients

Upstaff’s fees are integrated into the developer’s rate, typically accounting for 15-20% of the total cost. These fees cover the full range of Upstaff’s services, including platform access, candidate sourcing, management, and technical support, providing a hassle-free experience for clients. Though Upstaff’s fee may be close to Fiverr, it includes features outside of matching candidate and client, which are not covered by Fiverr. Overall, Fiverr is all about gigs, while Upstaff is better suited for middle-and long term projects for both contractor relationships and jobs contracts both on remote and onsite.

$1000 project pricing comparison between Indeed and Fiverr

Use of AI by freelancers

Neither Fiverr nor Upstaff suffer from AI-bidding. On Fiverr, clients select gigs directly, while Upstaff takes a more hands-on approach: managers select developers from Upstaff database or source externally and then conduct interviews to ensure they are a strong fit for the project.

Short Conclusion

Upstaff and Fiverr serve distinct markets and have different talent pool. Upstaff is best for middle- to long-term projects, offering a premium hiring experience with human-led sourcing, technical vetting, and ongoing management support even after the onboarding. This boutique-style approach ensures candidates are precisely matched to client needs, which are often complex, diverse and evolving.

In contrast, Fiverr dominates the gig economy with its standardized, cost-effective services tailored for quick, short-term tasks. While Fiverr prioritizes simplicity and speed, Upstaff offers a haute couture approach, making it the platform for clients seeking quality, security, and long-term partnerships.

General Conclusion

The rapid rise of remote work, championed by tech giants like Google and Meta and skyrocketed by COVID-19, has transformed how businesses connect with talent worldwide. In this new landscape, platforms like Fiverr, Upwork, Indeed, and Upstaff offer distinct approaches tailored to different needs, making the choice largely dependent on the complexity, scale, and duration of your project.

• Fiverr is ideal for small, standardized gigs where cost and speed are the primary concerns. Its gig-based model excels at delivering quick, predefined solutions but lacks the flexibility and depth needed for more tailored or long-term projects.
• Upwork caters to those seeking diverse talent and custom solutions for medium- to long-term engagements. Its built-in management tools and broad freelancer base make it a flexible option, though risks like AI-bidding and agency-driven profiles require careful vetting.
• Indeed stands out for structured, large-scale hiring across industries, offering access to an extensive candidate pool. While its AI-powered recruitment tools streamline processes, its reliance on paid features can drive up costs, especially for high-volume roles.
• Upstaff, with its boutique approach, is the go-to platform for middle- to long-term, high-stakes projects requiring specialized tech expertise. Its human-led sourcing, technical vetting, and management support ensure top-quality matches, making it the platform of choice for businesses prioritizing precision, reliability, and long-term partnerships.

For businesses seeking efficiency, reliability, and transformative outcomes, Upstaff offers a unique blend of boutique services and cutting-edge talent, making it a standout choice in the evolving landscape of remote hiring. If your project demands more than what mass-market platforms can deliver, Upstaff is ready to redefine your hiring experience.